Boys and achivement

Mitsos and browne- change in male employment opp

Mitsos and Browne claim that this decline in male employment opportunities due to globalisation has led to an identity crisis for men'. Many boys now believe that they have little prospect of getting a proper job. This undermines their motivation and self-esteem and so they give up trying to get qualifications.

Sewell- feminisation of edu

Sewell: the feminisation of education- claim boys fall behind because education has become feminised- school don’t nurture masculine traits such as competiviness and leadership- instead celebrate qualities more closely associated with girls such as methodical working and attentiveness in class

• coursework a major cause of gender differences in achievement- he argues we should replace coursework with gfinal exams and a greater emphasis placed on outdoor adventure 

Yougov (2007) stats

Lack of male role models both at home and school said to be cause of boys underachievement- Yougov(2007) - only 13% of primary school teachers are males most boys surveyed said the presence of a male teacher made them behave better and 42% said it made them work harder.

Some commentators argue that this is because the culture of the primary school has become feminised as a result of being staffed by female teachers, who are unable to control boys' behaviour. In this view, male teachers are better able to impose the strict discipline boys need in order to concentrate. If this view is correct, it would suggest that primary schools need more male teachers.

Epstein masculinity in school

Epstein- masculinity constructed within school- found WC boy likely to be harassed, labelled as sissies and subjected to homophobic verbal abuse if they appear to be swots